The BEST episodes of Later... with Jools Holland season 47
Every episode of Later... with Jools Holland season 47, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Later... with Jools Holland season 47!
Jools brings together hot, legendary and undiscovered artists for live studio performances, interviews and musical magic.
#1 - Foals, Squeeze, My Morning Jacket, Rickie Lee Jones, Disclosure
Season 47 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/18/2015
Jools Holland returns to Maidstone with another magical combination of artists playing live together in the studio for one night only. Foals, Squeeze, My Morning Jacket, Rickie Lee Jones and Disclosure featuring Sam Smith and Kwabs, it's like Woodstock 2015 on television! From Oxford and returning to the show come Foals, premiering their fourth album What Went Down, their loudest, heaviest and funkiest to date as they start to play in the big league. Jools's old friends Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford reformed Squeeze a little while ago and now they are back with their fourteenth studio album From the Cradle to the Grave, in which they reflect on the pleasures and pitfalls of middle-age and maturity in their first collection of new songs in the 21st century! Louisville's My Morning Jacket are led by singer-songwriter Jim James and remain as stubbornly original and yet in thrall to the alternative AOR of the 70s on their latest album The Waterfall. California's Rickie Lee Jones recorded her latest album The Other Side of Desire in New Orleans and will be accompanied by Jools and musicians on a couple of songs with that unmistakable Louisiana groove and her breakout late 70s hit Chuck E's In Love. Last but by no means least, welcome back Disclosure, the London-based songwriter-producer brothers Howard and Guy Lawrence, who helped put house back on the map and who are bringing along Kwabs to perform tracks from their shortly to be released second album Caracal. (BBC Later)
Watch Now:Amazon#2 - CeeLo Green, The Arcs, Shura, Mbongwana Star, Joanna Newsom, Low
Season 47 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/6/2015
Music programme featuring live sessions from contemporary and classic artists. Joining Jools on the final show of the series are Rod Argent and Colin Blunstone of legendary psychedelic rock band The Zombies. They chat with Jools and perform a couple of tracks, including one of their 1960s classics. All-round soul man CeeLo returns following his huge success in 2010 with songs from his upcoming fifth album Heart Blanche. Dan Auerbach, known for being half of US band The Black Keys, brings his side project The Arcs to the studio to perform numbers from their debut album Yours, Dreamily, whose garage sound has been described as 'classic American soul with hints of Mariachi rancheros and 90s trip-hop'. From west London and making her TV debut is singer and producer Shura, whose musical influences of early 80s Madonna and New York club culture shine brightly on songs from her forthcoming and much anticipated debut LP. From Kinshasa, two former members of Staff Benda Bilili have teamed up with Irish producer Liam Farrell to create Mbongwana Star, whose heady mix of frantic rhythms, psychedelia and weaving soukous guitar lines rip up any preconceptions of Congolese music. Idiosyncratic and ethereal US songwriter and harpist Joanna Newsom returns to the show to play a track or two from her long-awaited fourth album Divers. Last but not least, the beautiful but menacing harmonies of Duluth, Minnesota, trio Low, who return to the show with songs from their latest album Ones and Sixes.
Watch Now:Amazon#3 - The Maccabees, Richard Thompson, Roisin Murphy, Stereophonics, Izzy Bizu, Liam Bailey
Season 47 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/25/2015
Joining Jools on the second show of the series are Elephant and Castle's finest, The Maccabees, who'll be performing tracks from their recent no 1 and fourth studio album Marks to Prove It, and renowned British guitarist and songwriter Richard Thompson will be in the studio along with his Electric Trio to play tunes from new album Still, produced by Wilco's Jeff Tweedy. Former Moloko front-woman Roisin Murphy brings her extraordinary blend of showbiz and the avant-garde to the electro disco of her first album in 7 years, Hairless Toys, Welsh rockers and show stalwarts Stereophonics return to the fray with songs from their ninth studio album Keep the Village Alive. South London singer-songwriter Izzy Bizu will make her UK TV debut with a sound that blends her Ethiopian roots with jazz influences from Etta James to Amy Winehouse. Also from Nottingham, Liam Bailey, who collaborated with hit electronic duo Chase & Status on their 2011 smash Blind Faith, makes his Later debut with a track from his recently released solo album Definitely Now. (BBC Later)
#4 - The Weeknd, David Gilmour, the Libertines, Nathaniel Rateliff, Night Sweats & DakhaBrakha
Season 47 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/2/2015
Toronto's the Weeknd made their British TV debut on the last Later to be filmed at TV Centre - now they are back with a breakout hit Can't Feel My Face and a new album Beauty Behind the Madness, in which Abel Tesfaye takes his bruised R&B out of the underground and into the mainstream. Former Pink Floyd guitarist and songwriter David Gilmour returns to premier material from his fourth and typically epic solo album Rattle that Lock, while just across the studio, London ragamuffins and summer festival headliners the Libertines heal their wounds and regroup for more ragged rock 'n' roll from their third album Anthems for Doomed Youth. A few years back, Denver's Nathaniel Rateliff appeared on Later as a solo singer-songwriter, now he's back with an uproarious take on old-school soul powered by band the Night Sweats on their self-titled debut album. Finally, Ukraine's magnificent and totally barking quartet DakhaBrakha, whose name derives from the Ukrainian for give and take, with a blend of folk melodies, accordion, cello and harmonies that has been memorably described as ethno-chaos.
#5 - Richard Hawley, Alessia Cara, Tom Jones, Tiggs Da Author, John Grant
Season 47 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/9/2015
Jools welcomes another magical combination into the Later studio for one night only. Sheffield's Richard Hawley returns with songs from Hollow Meadows, his eighth solo album and another widescreen blend of melancholy and autobiography. Canadian teenage newcomer Alessia Cara sings like an old soul on her global breakout hit Here - a meditation on a party where she doesn't fit, that has the melodic appeal and early wisdom of Lorde. Sir Tom Jones returns with just a guitarist to introduce his third stripped-back album with producer Ethan Johns, Long Lost Suitcase, including his take on Gillian Welch's Elvis Presley Blues. Born in Tanzania and raised in New Cross, Tiggs Da Author explodes onto the show with pop hooks and a reggae undertone and an ever present smile premiering debut single Georgia, which samples Bobby Bland's Northern Soul classic Shoes, and John Grant returns to the show with songs from his third solo album Grey Tickles, Black Pressure, which has his usual melodic grace, a synth pulse and his unflinching take on the foibles both of himself and others. Making her TV debut is east London Electro-R&B singer Cherie Jones who just goes by the name of Jones.
#6 - John Newman, Labi Siffre, Sleaford Mods, Burt Bacharach, Everything Everything, Lizz Wright, Lynched.
Season 47 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/16/2015
Joining Jools this week and returning to the Later studio for the first time since his debut in 2012 is North Yorkshire soul sensation John Newman, who will be performing tracks from his long awaited second album Revolve, including his latest track with legendary American R&B singer and The Gap Band frontman Charlie Wilson. Making their debut on the show are Nottingham duo Sleaford Mods whose unique brand of post-punk hip hop has won them critical acclaim and a reputation as 'the angriest band in Britain'. Chatting to Jools this week we have legendary songwriter Burt Bacharach, whose extensive songbook has been reinterpreted into a hit musical entitled Close to You. Manchester-based four-piece Everything Everything released their third album Get to Heaven back in the summer of 2015 to rave reviews and chart success and they'll be performing tracks from that. From the US comes Georgia-born jazz and rhythm 'n' blues singer-songwriter Lizz Wright, who last performed on the show 10 years ago and returns with numbers from her autobiographical fifth album Freedom and Surrender which has recently topped the US jazz charts. And from Dublin, Irish folk quartet Lynched, whose debut album Cold Old Fire reinvigorates the tradition of Planxty and The Dubliners with their musical vigour and vernacular honesty. British singer-songwriter and poet Labi Siffre performs again after a 16-year-break. The man who describes himself as an 'atheist poet musician liberal social-commentator' plays a couple of his classic songs, including his 1987 hit Something Inside So Strong.
#7 - Duran Duran, Public Image Ltd., Miguel, Frazey Ford, Wolf Alice, Simbi Ajikawo aka Little Simz
Season 47 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/23/2015
Joining Jools on the show this week are two very different acts who formed at the end of the 1970s and went on to take completely different musical paths. Since their beginnings in Birmingham's club scene, Duran Duran have gone on to sell over 100 million records and recently released their 14th studio album Paper Gods, which saw the likes of Mark Ronson and Nile Rodgers on production duties. They will be performing a couple of tracks from it plus one or two of their classic pop hits. On the other side of this musical coin are John Lydon's post punk originators Public Image Ltd., who return to the show to play tracks from their recent 10th studio album What The World Needs Now.... From LA comes contemporary alt-R&B loverman Miguel, who will be performing a couple of numbers from his third studio album Wildheart, which has been described as 'a record with moments of pure, solar heart' and in an R&B context 'songwriting with a sex-positive message'. Canadian singer-songwriter and a founding member of alt-country trio The Be Good Tanyas, Frazey Ford makes her solo debut on the show with songs from her third album, the acclaimed Al Green/Memphis style collection Indian Ocean. Completing the line up, from London, 2015 breakthrough act Wolf Alice will run through a couple of tracks from their hit debut LP My Love Is Cool. Plus North London's Simbi Ajikawo, otherwise known as Little Simz, who's has garnered praise from the likes of Kendrick Lamar and Jay Z. She performs a track from her debut album A Curious Tale Of Trials + Persons which has been described as melodic, jazz-inflected soul-hop to near-spoken vocals over downbeat sonic washes.
#8 - Guy Garvey, Jamie Woon, Caravan Palace, Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn, Dave Gahan & Soulsavers, Judy Collins
Season 47 - Episode 7 - Aired 10/30/2015
Joining Jools on the show this week is Elbow frontman Guy Garvey, who is stepping out on his own with songs from his upcoming debut solo album Courting the Squall. Another musician taking time away from their usual band is Depeche Mode's Dave Gahan who joins up again with Soulsavers for their second album together entitled Angels & Ghosts, which they describe as an aural mix of dark, brooding sounds with elements inspired by gospel and blues. From London, singer-songwriter and producer Jamie Woon makes his Later debut with a couple of tracks from his upcoming trip-soul album Making Time, including his collaboration with New York singer-songwriter Willy Mason. Also on the show will be Judy Collins, the endlessly prolific singer, songwriter, author and activist who enjoyed success in the 60s and 70s with her versions of the likes of Sondheim's Send in the Clowns and the standard Amazing Grace. She will be chatting and performing with Jools at the piano. Joining them in the studio will be the French electro-swing outfit Caravan Palace, whose influences range from Django Reinhardt to Lionel Hampton to Daft Punk. Completing the line-up are Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn, who after many years of prominence as banjo players and composers in their own eclectic musical avenues, have teamed up and will play a couple of tunes from their collaborative album.